Psoriasis in children: clinical features and treatment modalities in Erbil city

Abstract

Background and objectives: Psoriasis is a common, chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the skin, nails, and joints. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical features and treatment modalities of psoriasis in children in Erbil city. Methods: A descriptive, case review study was conducted on children with psoriasis attending the Erbil Dermatology training center and Raparin pediatric hospital in Erbil city during the period between 1st of September 2018 and 30th of April 2019. Patients with psoriasis, with age ranged from birth to 18 years and of both sexes were allocated by convenient sampling method. Results: A total of 107 children with psoriasis were examined. The male to female ratio was 0.9:1. The majority of patients (39.3%) had an onset of psoriasis between the ages of 6 and 10 years and only 6 patients (5.4%) were less than 1 year. Plaque type psoriasis was the most frequent type at the time of presentation. The scalp was the most common initial site affected. Most of the patients (88.8%) had less than 5% of their skin affected by psoriasis. Only 33 (30.8%) patients had a positive family history. Pitting was the most common nail change. Topical steroids were the most frequently used; 91(85.1%) patients, while keratolytics like topical salicylic acid and urea by 49 (45.8%) of patients. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that children with psoriasis usually presented with mild disease, the plaque type psoriasis is predominating and topical steroids therapy is the mainstay treatment for localized disease.